Keeping Manufactured Housing Installers Informed!

Primary Menu

A Tool to Improve the Building Permit Application Process

Having just wrapped up a week of talking to building code officials in three different states, I was reminded of the importance of the building permit application process and how professional installers need to improve the flow of information between themselves and the building code officials.

Far too many installers continue to pretend that the entire installation process for a manufactured home can be boiled down to a one-page pier print. Then complain if the code official doesn’t uniformly enforce installation requirements on other installers. The problem is that it is very difficult to organize the documents needed into a manageable sized packet of information. The typical installation manual is far too cumbersome and code officials are not going to spend time flipping through these 100+ page manuals for each permit application. Nor should they!

I thought if we could create a tool to help assemble a packet of designs, extracted from the manufacturer’s installation instructions, it could streamline the process, focus on the important issues of support and stabilization and help eliminate bad actors from the business of manufactured home installation. This post is intended to help installers assemble just such an informational packet through the use of a cover-sheet to pull everything together!

I know you don’t think you have the time to organize all the documents needed for a complete building permit application, or that the code official doesn’t want anymore then the one page pier print. But if we are ever going to move the manufactured housing industry and careers as professional installers forward, we need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to working with building code officials.

Here are a few things to consider:

Manufactured homes have gotten significantly more sophisticated over the years, yet our approach to working with the building code officials remains unchanged! If we want to improve the image of manufactured housing and attract a larger segment of the home buying public, we need to earn the confidence of the code officials.

Getting familiar with charts like this is step #1 to a more professional installation

As a trained and licensed professional installer, you should take charge of your installations by being in control of all of the documents needed to properly install the home. The way we have always done things in the past is probably wrong, out dated, and a waste of money and time. Housing designs have changed rapidly over the years, both installers and code officials must be on top of these changes. The only way to keep up with the changes is to make sure we are submitting and following current and pertinent installation documents with every permit application. We just lacked a tool to help installers organize the designs they need for a building permit.

Are there unlicensed installers stealing work from you? Once building code officials start seeing exactly what is to be expected for every building permit and subsequent installation, unlicensed installers will not be able to keep the pace.

Most importantly, a properly applied for building permit eliminates variables and unknowns from the process and goes a long way in increasing profits and reducing liability.

Ok…here is a breakdown on what should be included at permit application as a minimum:

Identify the licensed installer! Show the code official your license so that they come to expect a licensed installer for every new manufactured home installation.

Identify the home by manufacturer as well as home width, side wall height, roof pitch, foundation type and for a few manufacturers, the size of the eaves along the sidewall.

A copy of the manufacturer’s DAPIA approved installation instructions that highlight the appropriate charts and tables needed to construct the foundation. If not submitting the entire installation manual and only the table of contents page shows the DAPIA stamp, provide a copy of that page as well.

Provide DAPIA approved documents from the manufacturer that show approval for any alternate installation methods you might be using (such as alternative anchoring system or shallow frost protected foundation).

Include the Complete Installation Checklist from the installation manual or a Expanded Installation Checklist(from October 16, 2017 post) to better address the installation.

Provide notes on the soil bearing capacity, frost depth and other site-specific considerations that are needed to assure a proper installation.

Typical Pier Print-an installation tool, but must be used with several other design details.

And finally, prepare a plan of the home where you can layout the proper location of piers. CAUTION! Pier prints from the manufacturer are not to be trusted. Every pier print refers the installer to the actual installation instructions. You may want to use the pier print as a tool to help you determine pier locations, but never trust these pier prints without first reviewing it yourself!

You will likely need to add some additional documents for the code official (plot plan, sewer tap permits, etc.), but the cover sheet in the above link, will help you get the home specific details in order. Consider making this a part of your typical building permit procedure. I promise, if you try it one time you will quickly see the benefit!